Siri may be the talk of the mobile world, but she is certainly not the first to provide interactive voice response (IVR) capabilities on a smartphone. Long before Siri was introduced with the iPhone (News - Alert) 4S, a number of other mobile applications made it possible for smartphone users to simplify everyday tasks using only the sound of their voice. If you currently have an Android (News - Alert)-based device or an older version of the iPhone, users can simply choose one of these alternatives to have a similar 4S experience with these free and low cost mobile apps that provide very similar services.  

• Google Voice Search. If you are using an Android device, Google actually already provides an app that functions a lot like Siri. Voice Search allows users to use voice commands to conduct a search instead of typing into the Google search query. Whether you are searching for a product, an image or the latest breaking news stories, Voice Search allows you to navigate the search engine with your voice. Like the technology already implemented into Google-based devices, Voice Search takes your location into consideration when searching for directions, movie theaters and times and restaurants.

            Google Search is available on Android, iPhone, BlackBerry (News - Alert) and compatible Nokia devices. 

• Dragon Dictation Apps. This mobile app, based on speech-to text technology provided by Nuance (News - Alert), includes a number of different apps similar to Siri that allow users to text, email or search your mobile device to increase productivity and simplify your mobile experience while on the go. Modeled after Nuance’s successful speech recognition software applications, Dragon  can also be integrated with Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert) in order to update your status or tweets by simply clicking and speaking.

            This app is available on the iPhone and iPad at no cost. 

• Vlingo Virtual Assistant. Vlingo provides a full-featured virtual assistant that lets you do everything from sending texts and emails to dialing friends or finding directions using only your voice. Using voice-to-text technology, the app uses its voice recognition capabilities to allow users to do quick mobile searches on the Web, access your calendar, update social networking statuses like Facebook, Twitter, foursquare and more. Vlingo is available free for most all smartphone operating systems including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows, Nokia and even compatible featurephones. For more options sans ads, Vlingo can be purchased for an additional fee depending on the OS.